Hundreds of motorists were left stranded overnight as extreme weather continued to wreak havoc across the UK – with forecasters warning the country ‘is not out of the woods yet’.
Strengthening winds caused blizzards and drifting snow in some parts, bringing roads to a standstill and leaving commuters facing travel disruption for the fourth day in a row.
Two police forces declared ‘major incidents’ as the Army was drafted in to help rescue those left trapped in their cars. The South Central Ambulance Service appealed for help from 4×4 owners to move its staff around.
Passengers were stranded overnight on the 5.30pm South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to Poole in Dorset last night at Brockenhurst in the New Forest on a train that allegedly had no heating.
Hampshire Police said it had called in the military to help evacuate people from the A31, while Avon and Somerset Constabulary said about 100 vehicles had become stuck on the A303 at Ilminster.
In Greater Manchester, hundreds of drivers spent the night stuck on the M62, with police warning wind speeds had reached 90mph over the Rakewood Viaduct, between junctions 21 and 22.
Traffic queues in the snow in Cornwall overnight as drivers battle to get through the severe weather hitting Britain
People were stranded on the 5.30pm South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to Poole in Dorset last night
The passengers were stuck at Brockenhurst in the New Forest on a South Western Railway train that allegedly had no heating
Passengers tried to get some sleep under space blankets after being stuck on the train from Waterloo to Poole overnight
Dave Webb, 37, from Wakefield, told the Press Association he had been on the motorway for 10 hours.
‘We came to a halt at about 5.30pm last night and have been here since,’ he said. ‘There hasn’t been any snow since about 6.30pm but the wind is pretty strong and gusting.’
Eleanor Kelly, 19, said local residents in Milnrow, Rochdale, had been taking hot drinks, food and blankets to those stuck on the carriageway – including to a father with a baby and toddler in the car.
She said: ‘We’ve been trying to get to as many people as we can in about a mile radius from where we can get to the carriageway.’
The local community centre, Butterworth Hall, was also opened to provide refuge for stranded motorists overnight.
Hampshire Police said emergency services were continuing to deal with a ‘major incident’ on the A31 after vehicles became stranded due to the severe weather conditions.
The force said they were unable to move the vehicles off the carriageway for ‘at least the next few hours’, but were working to evacuate the most vulnerable people from the scene.
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Powell said: ‘All emergency services are working as hard as they can to get to as many people as possible at the scene and give them immediate assistance.
‘I know that many people have been stuck for several hours and we are working as fast as we can to get to them, but at this stage we are limited to moving people from the scene rather than moving vehicles.’
Those stuck on the road have been urged to call 101 if they have a medical condition or are running out of fuel, or to call 999 in an emergency.
Avon and Somerset Police said they were carrying out a ‘rescue operation’ to help people stranded in their vehicles across Somerset, including about 100 vehicles stuck in snow on the A303 at Ilminster.
Chief Superintendent Ian Wylie said: ‘This operation is being supported by a number of volunteers and voluntary agencies, including Avon and Somerset Search and Rescue, Exmoor Search and Rescue, Burnham Area Rescue Boat (which has 4×4 vehicles) and Wessex 4×4 Response, along with other emergency services and Her Majesty’s Coastguard.
‘If you are stranded, please stay in your vehicle, call for assistance and wait for help to arrive. Don’t abandon your vehicle as it can hamper the efforts of emergency services.’
Police say wind speeds over the Rakewood Viaduct in Greater Manchester have reached 90mph.
The North West Motorway Police tweeted: ‘J21-22 M62 the wind speeds over Rakewood are 90mph that is the reason vehicles cannot continue as it would be a risk to life.’
Western Power Distribution figures showed around 4,000 properties in Wales and south west England had been left without power this morning as a result of 38 incidents.
A red weather warning – the second in 24 hours – expired at 2am, but amber warnings for snow are still in place for much of Scotland, the North East of England, and parts of Northern Ireland, running until 10am, and for wind and snow in south western parts of the UK until 8am.
Up to 50cm of snow could fall over parts of Dartmoor, Exmoor and south east Wales.
Yellow warnings for snow are also in place for vast swathes of the country for the whole day, while a yellow warning for wind covers the North East of England and Wales until midday.
Temperatures will once again be below freezing for many parts of the UK during the day, with strong winds making it feel even chillier.
Met Office meteorologist Steven Keates said: ‘We are not out of the woods yet.
‘There’s further snow to come, as well as a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain.
‘Even parts of London and the South East are not immune to seeing more snow through the afternoon – not as much as yesterday, but still enough to cause further disruption.’
The whole of the Irish Republic is also on red alert, valid until 6pm today, after being hit by the worst snow in 35 years.
Evelyn Cusack, senior forecaster with Met Eireann, warned 40cm of snow could fall in parts of the east and south.
In Scotland, troops were called in to transport medics to and from Edinburgh’s two biggest hospital’s after a request from NHS Lothian to the Scottish Government.
The extreme weather has seen health boards cancel non-essential operations and outpatient appointments today, while NHS 24 has described its operations as being ‘stretched’.
Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow also saw tiles fly from its roof under pressure from the extreme weather.
The so-called Beast from the East, which met Storm Emma yesterday, has already proved deadly.
Driver Thomas Hamilton tweeted this morning from the A303 near Mere in Somerset that he had been stuck for 12 hours. He ‘slept for 45 minutes, woken up in the same place’, adding: ‘Poor person stuck in a soft top car hasn’t moved, must be freezing’
One motorist said she had been stuck on the A303 in Somerset for more than 12 hours from 6pm last night to 6.30am today
Motorists on the M62 in Greater Manchester were trapped in their cars overnight after heavy snow and high winds left the road impassable. But local residents in Milnrow, Rochdale, came to their aid, bringing hot drinks, food and blankets to people
A seven-year-old girl became the latest to die during the severe weather yesterday.
The child, believed to be a pedestrian, was fatally injured after a car hit a house on Bodrigan Road in Looe at about 2.30pm, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
A 75-year-old woman was earlier found dead in a snow-covered street in Leeds, while Hampshire Police said a 46-year-old man died after a collision involving a lorry and van on the A34 southbound near Tot Hill services.
A 60-year-old man who died after being pulled from the water at Danson Park, near Welling, south-east London, on Wednesday, was named by the Metropolitan Police as Stephen Cavanagh.
The National Grid also issued a ‘gas deficit warning’ prompting fears of a shortage, but households were reassured domestic supplies would not be affected.
Nearly all train operators warned of cancellations and disruption again today and hundreds more flights were cancelled. Motorists across much of the UK have been warned against driving unless absolutely essential.
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